Mana Juana has become my go to spot for salsa on Fridays since reopening. The crowd is a nice mix of beginners and seasoned dancers. Natalie is a wonderful teacher for newcomers. she keeps things simple and helps break the ice. The live bands play great salsa all night with a short break in the middle, during which the DJ keeps the energy up with mostly salsa and just a few bachata or merengue songs. The new dance floor is smooth and perfect for dancing. Overall, it’s a fantastic place for salseros.

Great salsa dancing! Very lively, great acoustics, and a live band every Friday. The instructor did a good job of teaching in a clear way.

As of January 2025 they have re-opened, and now host salsa nights every Friday.

The atmosphere is welcoming, starting with the friendly bouncers as you head upstairs, ID checks. However, parking in Studio City is almost non-existent, so consider taking an Uber or carpooling.

The venue has undergone a significant makeover and looks nice in a now—quaint yet invitin warm ambiance.

A big plus, a very big plus is that they at least have free water. For social dancers, this is heaven sent.

If you're interested in social dancing or learning salsa and bachata, this is an excellent spot to begin. They seem to bring in seasoned salsa instructors, and you might even get a chance to learn salsa with a touch of hustle.

One standout feature is the live salsa band that often plays on Fridays. However, and read this, there’s room for improvement in how the music is arranged. Live salsa sets can run long (5–6 minutes), and the DJ could do a better job reading the crowd, again the DJ could do a BETTER job reading the crowd. Avoiding repetitive mixes, same salsa songs every night, and incorporating more varied selections such as slower salsa, or salsa romantica as midnight approaches would enhance the experience. Right now, there seems to be a DJ that just puts any sort of salsa music, such as a faster Colombian or salsa dura one after another, like mentioned, slower mambo styles with gentler rhythms could attract a broader audience. New salsa beginners don't know this, and it'll wear them out, but there's a better salsa music arrangement for every event (with emphasis on variety and slower salsa) will show them that not all salsa is about show and physicality, dips and flair.

It's worth noting the ongoing evolution in LA’s salsa scene between salsa on1 (LA style) and salsa on2 (NY style). After covid, it seems like there's new salsa evolution brewing up with the sudden increase of salsa bachata festivals, and once this venue aligns its salsa music selection and DJ to a better, varied nightly mix that isn't afraid to introduce the gentler side of salsa, then Mama Juana's in Studio City has the potential to grow and attract more social dancers. I'll have to update this review if they do.

On the positive side, the dance floor is excellent, it's wooden the sound system is decent, with music at a comfortable volume at times. The crowd leans towards on1 LA style dancers, which reflects the current local scene.

Fun fact: Prince used to visit this spot to watch salsa dancers.

This is only for the club part, not the food.

Saturday night was average. There was a band playing until about 12, then the DJ played a lot of salsa and merengue. Afterwards they switched it up and played a little rock en español and then 80s music. Somewhat of an older crowd, and dancers were beginners to intermediate level. I'm not from the area so I probably wouldn't go back unless I was out there with nothing to do on a Saturday night. Oh yea, cover was $5.

Tiny place. Great music. Can be intimidating for beginning dancers. Make reservations. Go for the dance classes. Or just come, enjoy the music & be inspired by some great dancing. You'll leave wanting to take classes.